Thursday, June 24, 2010

"Many Canadians have been cringing at the ballooning $1.1bn (US$1.1bn; £730m) bill to host this week's G8 and G20 summits. While a staggering 90% of the summits' budget is for security, it is a "fake lake" which has come to symbolise what many critics see as Prime Minister Stephen Harper's extravagant spending. The temporary water feature is intended to impress the 3,000-strong contingent of journalists who will be housed at a $2m international media centre in Toronto. The display - which promises a shallow pool, a deck, deckchairs and canoes - is intended to promote the Muskoka region, the picturesque lakeland setting north of Toronto where the G8 leaders will meet. The G20 summit will be held in Toronto after the G8. Ironically, the "fake lake" is just a stone's throw from the real thing - Lake Ontario, one of the world's biggest lakes.BBC World

"Hosting the G8 and G20 summits will cost Canada around 770 million euros, and while journalists may enjoy reclining around an artificial lake and getting a taste of Canada in a costly media centre, the Canadian public is far from impressed…"France24

Corruption and Military Spendinghttp://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=879367

Anecdotal evidence relates corruption with high levels of military "security" spending. ..... The empirical analysis is based on data from four different sources for up to 120 countries in the period 1985-98, .... The results suggest that corruption is indeed associated with higher military spending

There is a very strong correlation between corruption and excessive military and security spending.1.2 billion of unaccounted security spending is truly excessive

Unfortunately unless there extreme diligence some of the special exceptions introduced may be permanent loss of freedom.

Harper's government used the economic crises push through legislations that removes all government spending accountability. http://www.canada.com/news/parliament+gave+away+oversight+borrowing+mistake+senators/2979792/story.htmlSince confederation budget borrowing was parliamentary confidence vote, but NOT any longer. This is a fundamental lossof Canada's democrat power to insure government transparency and accountability.

Will police's unquestioned extraordinary powers be permanent. These extraordinary police powers were not obtained under the introduction of the Emergencies Act. Unless there is a procedure to roll back these extraordinary powers they will be permanent.